Morning Friend!

Outside is: BRRRRRR!!! If you are a Southern California girl like me, waking up to 35 degrees as you open the door for your husband to head off to work and your house is 59….this is cold!!!

I can smell:My coffee and the cinnamon smell of Thieves in my diffuser.

In the oven for dinner: We are having what I call Country Bake. I chop up veggies (in big bite size cuts) like potato, zucchini, onion, carrot, bell pepper and yellow squash. I put them in a large Pyrex and drizzle them with olive oil. Then crush some garlic cloves, usually 3 because I like garlic, and sprinkle with salt, pepper and paprika. Then I take my hands and just massage it all together. Cover the dish with foil and put it in the oven for an hour at 350. Your house smells delicious and dinner is too!! Best part about this recipe is that I can prep it early in the day and then cook it when I am ready. Kind of like a crock pot but it warms my house too!!

What I have been thinking about: Our world had this ridiculous fascination with youth. What happened to the beauty of growing older? My grandmother was beautiful. She had her hair done every week and did herself up for my grandfather every day. My great grandmother was beautiful. She was little and tough. She had lived through the depression and raised 5 children all by herself. My great aunt was beautiful. She was a single divorced mother before it was the norm. These women lived. They did not have facelifts and botox injections. They wore their wisdom. They were beautiful women with wrinkles and gray hair. When I think of a Titus woman, I never picture a woman of 20 or 30. I picture a woman of age. A woman who has lived and has insight into living a better life, either by learning from their mistakes or showing me how the right ones can be harder but the choice I need to make. God wants us to grow into Titus women, gray haired, wrinkled and wise.

The project I am working on: trying in the cold to restart some cuttings from a friend’s succulent plants. I would love to have more of them in my little yard…so far they are doing okay in the pots…but I do not have a green thumb. Let’s hope this is a project I will excel at.

Mood today: I am full of emotions. This past month has been a whirlwind of life changing moments. I have seen God perform a miracle. I have seen the enemy try and destroy it. I have seen a friend’s husband suddenly get his invitation to live with Jesus. I have seen this family take their sorrow to The Lord and praise Him for all the time they did have with this man and for not letting him die suffering. Through all their pain they praised The King continuously. I have been blessed with a gift from a stranger that has touched my heart so deeply. I have no words for this gift. It was tremendous and I am unworthy. I was privileged to take gifts to a beautiful family who have a ministry for foster children. Little things that were needed to get a safe in between home for these little fosters babies were collected and I was so blessed to get to drop them off. Clothes, diapers, wipes, food, pacifiers, bottles, blankets and a whole tub of brand new shirts from TT& Twins were donated to make sure these little know how loved they are by people who do not even know them. So many more Spirit filled situations I have been blessed to see come to fruit. My cup is full. I am humbled by all the Lord has shown me and let me part of these last few weeks. It is more than I could ever have learned from books and more cherished a lesson than I can say.

What I am reading: God’s Pursuit of Man by A W Tozer. It is awesome. It is asking if you are truly saved. Have you been conquered by God? Has the Holy Spirit filled you so completely that you are not yourself anymore? It is a small book but if you are reading to have it change you, it will take you a while to get all the way through it. You can find it at my favorite book site Thriftbooks by clicking here.

School Stuff: Belle is memorizing her times tables right now. A friend showed us some cute songs on YouTube that make it more fun. Becca is way ahead in her algebra!! Michael…well he hates math but is persevering through. We are getting deep into our bible studies and focusing on reading and grammar. Nothing fun in Science or Languages right now…after the first I have a few fun ideas!!

Picture to share: My favorite mini in one of her TT&Twins vintage shirts!!